Help Finding Root of Baby Acne or Pimples on Cheeks

allergist first; sounds like allergy to food. THey can do a skin test and tell ya in the office, no big deal. I'd do that first, we had the same thing.

Is it eczema maybe? My kids both had baby acne for the first year and a half then it went away. My little guy has eczema on the back of his arms - cortisone sort of helps, but a prescription of the antihistimine Atarax really cleared it up.

Hi M.-first of all nothing topical is going to help. The root of the problems is that something is in his body coming out thru his skin.

The most safest and beneficial product to try before you invest any more time and effort into doctors is probiotics. They are so beneficial for people no matter what the age. You can get it in liquid or powder form and put it into what ever you are giving him. Many times this is also a dairy or gluten allergy and often sometimes both. You can get a great probiotic at discount online stores such as vitacost.com, or you can go to a local health food store or whole foods. Make sure the brand is reputable and is certified organic or has 3rd party testing. Babies should never be given prescriptions or over the counter meds. The lotions that are all mentioned have baby/mineral oil in them which is the worst thing you can put on skin. You are much better off using coconut oil or olive oil and of course virgin and organic for a topical lotion.

Before I even got to your last sentence, I said, "this sure sounds like Keratosis Pilaris," and your last sentence made the diagnosis. You need a new pediatrician. Toddlers do not get acne and should never be given prescription acne medications. Keratosis Pilaris is the ridiculous name for those annoying little bumps that people get in three locations: backs of arms, lower cheeks/jaw line and thighs. It is a completely harmless (though unattractive and annoying) variant of dry skin with a small inflammatory component. This is a life-long skin condition, but don't worry because you can do something about it. First of all avoid products that irritate the skin - harsh laundry detergents, liquid fabric softeners, dryer sheets, fragranced skincare products and petro-chemical based skincare products - this is good advice for everyone as none of the many chemicals in these products belong on your skin. Use natural laundry detergents (soap nuts are my favorite), something metal in the drying to dispel the static (like clothes with zippers or sneakers with metal eyelets), use a glycerin soap from a healthfood store (or no soap at all on the affected areas), and a natural moisturizer like Trillium Organics Body Oil (amazing stuff). If these changes don't get rid of it (as they did for me and many others), you may need to add a natural exfoliant, especially in the beginning. The easiest natural exfoliant is citris juice, so choose your favorite scent (orange, lemon or lime) and literally rub a little fresh squeezed juice onto the affected skin.

My son is 8 months old and gets a couple red bumps now and then, I believe its from sweating and/or touching his face, as the same can happen to adults.

Unless it is serious, I do as I have been told with my skin, leave them alone! I try to keep his little hands clean and wash his face with a soft cloth and water, and nothing else. I try not to touch his face (cant help the kisses though) and not let others touch his hands and face, because it transfers dirt.

Good luck!

I agree with the previous posts, it is NOT baby acne. My daughter has had this since she was about 6 mos. old & the only thing I have found that helps is Eucerin on her face. We too had prescription strength cortizone creme which did nothing. The worst is on her arms and even the Eucerin doesn't help there. If its a mild case, I'd say try Eucerin & I also wash her clothes in Dreft.

Does he have any bumps on his legs or arms? It sounds like keratosis pilaris. My girl has had them since she was a baby as well. We were told to do the hyrdocortisone thing too. (but we also were not consistent because who wants to slather 60% of their childs body w/ it everyday-plus the tubes are too small) Anyway we ended up going to the dermatologist and were told to use Amlactin lotion (can be found @ Walgreens for ~$20) The bumps are almost like clogged pores under the skin that can't break through the surface. So the lactic acid in the lotion helps to exfoliate them. She said to use a little soft loofa to kinda rub them to get them off. Not too sure about that on the face though! Also, we were not consistent on the Amlactin because since it is exfoliating my daughter says it burns :( If the cortisone isn't working I would try the dermatologist. Do any family members have these bumps because Keratosis Pilaris is said to run in families? Good Luck!

Yep, agree with Marny below - this is keratosis pilaris. My daughter had this as a baby and it is a skin condition related to eczema (but it looks slightly different - look it up on Wikipedia for a picture). It's looks like teeny little raised white to reddish bumps. There's no cure. Our pediatric dermatologist recommended a lotion with lactic acid in it. Also he gave us a 2% hydrocortisone salve (need Rx for this strength) to put on the cheeks. It did help a bit. FYI, she's now almost 6 years old and doesn't have it at all. In fact, I think after she was 2.5 years, I stopped having to treat it.

If it is several others have suggested - very dry skin, then try aquaphor twice a day - once in the morning after a bath and once at night before bed. My daughter has very dry skin - at that age (12-15 months), she would get small pimple-like bumps on her face, but not actually pimples - no white stuff (collection of white cells) at the center of the bumps.

If this is what your son has, then aquaphor (very much like vaseline) should work within a week to lessen them - just use a little and make sure those areas are moistened enough. Now, my daughter is almost 5 and her dry skin has developed into something called pityriasis alba. - If her skin is too dry, then she loses some pigmentation and the skin becomes lighter. However aquaphore or cetaphil (lotion) helps control it. This is very common amongst children and they usually outgrow the condition.

Try the aquaphor or a cetaphil cream (not lotion) for a few weeks - consistently. It's not going to hurt and is a better option to other medicine for now. Once the pimples start disappearing, you can decrease the amount of cream you use to just manage the condition, because overly skin will cause pimples!

its most likely eczema due to food allergies. It may be related to external chemicals as well. Make sure you are using natural soaps (go to www.cosmeticsdatabase.com and check the rating of your skincare youd be surprised how toxic some of the stuff you put on yourself and your child is) and natural cleaners (vinegar and water and baking soda are all you need to clean the whole house!). I would eliminate all dairy and wheat from the childs diet for at least 2 weeks and then reintroduce it and see if symptoms worsen (I would expect during the elimination things may get worse since the child would be detoxing) Doctors allergy tests can be unreliable , do some research on that as well. Great that you are concerned and not wanting to just slather your kid in ointment!

sounds like ezema. when our oldest was about a year old, we had to take him to a dermatologist. he was covered in pimply bumps! they gave us an ointment, then, told us not to bathe him everyday. just wipe him off! slick him up with vaseline. it worked wonders. we did see dr. kemp at dreyer clinic in aurora.

Both of my boys have the same thing. It sounds like Keratosis Pilaris and we had it diagnosed through a dermatologist. It's really quite common and is the same thing that a lot of people have on the backs of their arms. If it is the same thing, there are lots of over the counter options. Try googling "pictures of keratosis pilaris" to check it out. I'm not a doctor, so overall I would recommend seeing a dermatologist, just thought this might help in the process.

sounds like your little one drools in his sleep then rubs his face in the wet spot while sleeping.....nothing to worry about, but of course you want him to have clear skin....try wiping his face with a bit of vaseline before putting him down to sleep (naps and for the night)....another good alternative would be Aquafor (spelling?).....it also is a clear heavy cream that can be easily washed away with soap and water if there is any left on his skin upon waking. Once his teeth are all in this should disappear on its own.

Hi M.:
My 2nd son had the same problem. It started when he was about 6-7 mos. He also had it on his upper arms and lower legs. I too changed my detergents, got cream for him, etc and nothing seemed to really work. My new peds doc told me it was dry skin where the dead skin was building up in his pores. (The acne treatment was probably drying his skin even more and causing more pimples.) So I bought some Aquaphor and used it every night. I wash his face, arms and legs thoroughly with a wash cloth. Then I take a small amount of the Aquaphor and rub it in his face, arms and legs. Make sure you really rub it in-not hard but to make sure it is absorbed. It has worked awesome. I don't use it ever time now - I only use it 2-3 times a weeks, depending on his skin. It is a little expensive but I only use a little at a time and it does last.
I hope this helps. My sons skin looks really nice now.

Ditto Marni and the others. Both my daughters (5 and 7) have Keratosis Pilaris on their arms. What I found interesting is it tends to be hereditary. Sure enough, my husband has it on his arms!

It tends to be worse during "dry" times of the year, i.e. winter. Aquafor works wonders for us.
good luck

Our dermatologist recommended Amlactin cream, which is available over the counter.